Classes, seminars, and consultations are available: See our event calendar for more information

View our large collection of genealogy & local history materials

Welcome to SCCHGS

SCCHGS is proud to provide frequent classes, seminars and speakers on both local history and genealogy topics. Our volunteers offer free consulting and low-cost research services and continue to index local genealogical records not available elsewhere. Please explore this site to see all of these great resources and more.

Our general meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month. Check below for time, location, and registration requirements for specific events.

Upcoming Events

Don’t tell Larry Page, but everything is not on Google. When you have reached the end of your exhaustive search through the myriad genealogy websites and even random Google searches, allow me to introduce you to Ethel. She has been working in the basement of the County Courthouse for many years, sorting and preserving documents and arranging them in a way that makes sense to her as a family historian. Those documents may even be indexed on her computer - which she will be happy to share with you.
We need to get as close to the original source as possible and local historians and genealogists have been recording and archiving those sources for many years. Our own SCCHGS has dedicated volunteers who have been indexing and archiving county records since long before Ancestry.com and certainly before the DNA hoopla and they are still hard at work doing just that. Let Marcia help you understand what could be available out there and how to access those records.

Learn the basics of starting your genealogy research. This class will help you discover what documents you have, what documents you need, and what to do with the information you found. You will learn what is available from vital records, as well as other kinds of records. We will also explain the Family Groups Sheets and Pedigree Charts and show you how to get started in filling them out. We will also give you an introduction into sourcing your information. Taught by Pam Fujii and Dave McCready of the Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society.

Have you thought about testing your DNA but did not know which test to do? Or, are you one who has tested your DNA, but you don’t know how to use the tools to break through your brick wall? Patricia Burrow will give a basic introduction into DNA testing, covering the four different DNA types. Not sure which company to use to test your DNA? Pat will cover the top three companies to show you what is available from each company and will discuss their strong points and weaknesses. Pam Fujii will walk you through her case study on how she used all three companies. Pam will show you the tools she used to find new family members. We guarantee when you leave the session, you will be thinking of DNA testing in a whole new light!

This amazing Wild West caper occurred during the Civil War’s final year. It was California front page news that captured the country’s attention. This epic story includes a secret society, a daring stagecoach robbery, plus a cast of real-life characters featuring California Confederates, Copperhead citizens, Civil War drama, court judges, and convicted criminals. Author and passionate genealogist, William E. Cole, is a relative of one of the perpetrators. Bill dug deep into the California State Archives to uncover the full story. The treasure trove of information he found tells an amazing story, where fact is truly stranger than fiction.